My father was not the expressive, sentimental type. He was not the hugging, “I love you” kind of a guy.
After I read these opening lines in Bro. Bro Sanchez' book "You can make your life beautiful", I knew I found the best description for my own father as well.
I recalled that, as a young boy, he once tried to express his presence when he brought me to a movie house to watch “Markang Bungo” starring Lito Lapid (until now I can’t even recall what the story of that movie is). In another instance I remember, he needed to drive his boss to Pangasinan and he let me tag along with him. When we were headed home, we never had a conversation except when he asked me if I was hungry.
He was a distant father, so to speak.
And so I grew up with a somewhat timid feeling about him. In my young mind, I felt that he dislikes me and sometimes I even (unintentionally) sensed that he wanted to disown me. As a growing kid, I needed a father that will guide me through the enormous curiosity that surrounds me. But he just was not there, or maybe physically he was but his presence was missing.
On May 2002, I was 19 years old then and during school break, I visited them in the bukid (riceland) where my father and mother were staying. They were having their habitual get-together drinking session with his friends. They normally do this after finishing their farming activity for the day.
I sat across my father. He looked at me with so much sadness in his eyes and I gazed back at him. Without any clue, I saw his eyes starting to get misty so I went beside him. And then, he did something that he never did in my entire life.
He raised his hands towards me.
Then he gave me a hug.
He hugged me so tightly and both of our eyes were filled with tears.
I never felt as secure and comfortable before that moment with my father and it was the best moment that had happened to me in my 19 years of wondering and pondering with my life.
It was the happiest time I spent with him and my world seemed to stop spinning and I never wanted to that moment to end. I have waited long years to feel his presence. I can’t believe that my father gave me a hug. He finally expressed unconditionally that he loves me.
My new-found happiness, though, was short-lived because I never thought he was already bidding farewell to me then.
On June 16, 2002, after two weeks, he died in a motorcycle accident. My emotions were running wild inside me. I was both grieving and joyful. Joyful because for the first time, my tough, unsentimental father gave me a hug. Grieving because it was the last hug I’ll ever get from him. And I muttered to myself “Pang, we should have done that long time ago”.
That moment changed my life forever.
Hug someone today while there’s time. If you are a father or mother, hug your children, If you are a husband or wife, hug your spouse. If you have siblings, hug your them. If you have a good friend, hug him/her.
To hug is to express your love and love must be expressed well to be felt.
After I read these opening lines in Bro. Bro Sanchez' book "You can make your life beautiful", I knew I found the best description for my own father as well.
I recalled that, as a young boy, he once tried to express his presence when he brought me to a movie house to watch “Markang Bungo” starring Lito Lapid (until now I can’t even recall what the story of that movie is). In another instance I remember, he needed to drive his boss to Pangasinan and he let me tag along with him. When we were headed home, we never had a conversation except when he asked me if I was hungry.
He was a distant father, so to speak.
And so I grew up with a somewhat timid feeling about him. In my young mind, I felt that he dislikes me and sometimes I even (unintentionally) sensed that he wanted to disown me. As a growing kid, I needed a father that will guide me through the enormous curiosity that surrounds me. But he just was not there, or maybe physically he was but his presence was missing.
On May 2002, I was 19 years old then and during school break, I visited them in the bukid (riceland) where my father and mother were staying. They were having their habitual get-together drinking session with his friends. They normally do this after finishing their farming activity for the day.
I sat across my father. He looked at me with so much sadness in his eyes and I gazed back at him. Without any clue, I saw his eyes starting to get misty so I went beside him. And then, he did something that he never did in my entire life.
He raised his hands towards me.
Then he gave me a hug.
He hugged me so tightly and both of our eyes were filled with tears.
I never felt as secure and comfortable before that moment with my father and it was the best moment that had happened to me in my 19 years of wondering and pondering with my life.
It was the happiest time I spent with him and my world seemed to stop spinning and I never wanted to that moment to end. I have waited long years to feel his presence. I can’t believe that my father gave me a hug. He finally expressed unconditionally that he loves me.
My new-found happiness, though, was short-lived because I never thought he was already bidding farewell to me then.
On June 16, 2002, after two weeks, he died in a motorcycle accident. My emotions were running wild inside me. I was both grieving and joyful. Joyful because for the first time, my tough, unsentimental father gave me a hug. Grieving because it was the last hug I’ll ever get from him. And I muttered to myself “Pang, we should have done that long time ago”.
That moment changed my life forever.
Hug someone today while there’s time. If you are a father or mother, hug your children, If you are a husband or wife, hug your spouse. If you have siblings, hug your them. If you have a good friend, hug him/her.
To hug is to express your love and love must be expressed well to be felt.
God bless.
posted with permission from original writer Mr. Exequiel Raguini
